Top 10 Best Bartenders 2008

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Editor's note: Voting has closed. Tune in Sept. 17 for the announcement of our Final 5 contenders.

We want your vote. Not for Obama. Not for McCain. For your favorite Best Bartender.

Clear your mind of November’s election and shift to the task at hand: cocktails. We’ve pored over hundreds of nominations to settle on these 10 talented mixologists, all ready to prove their drink-slinging skills. So visit them at their bars, sip their drinks and chat them up. Then cast a vote for your favorite.

Your votes will determine the Final Five, who will move on to our Best Bartender Bash on Sept. 24 at Victory Liquors. Polls are open at Metromix.com through 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Gia Tovar, 26
Lumen
Tovar’s five-year-long bartending career is half ’hood hangs (Hye Bar, Ta’too) and half fancy-schmancy (Victor Hotel, Suite Lounge). When she’s not mixing (and dancing) behind the bar at Lumen, you’ll find her working at its sister restaurant Duchamp, or playing catch with her black lab, Tula.
Signature drink: The Luminary, $8 (organic rosemary syrup, lemon juice, Svedka citrus vodka and a splash of soda, on the rocks)
Catch her: Thursday through Saturday



Tuan Nguyen, 27
Mad River
Nguyen bartended his way through college in Madison, Wis., before moving to Chicago and landing at Mad River. Behind the bar, he loves making drinks as fast as humanly possible—and when he’s not, he’s hitting the books, finishing up his BFA in architectural studies at the School of the Art Institute.
Signature drink: The Berry Martini, $11 (Ciroc Vodka, Cointreau, berry liqueur, splash of cranberry juice and sour mix)
Catch him: Wednesday and Saturday



Olivia Shanks, 31
Debonair Social Club and Sonotheque
Shanks can mix up any frou-frou drink you could ask for, but after a decade of bartending, her mantra is simplicity. “If it’s flair you’re looking for, you should probably go to Applebee’s.” Along with fellow Debonair bartender Telo Dunne, Shanks is working to launch the fashion line Imaginary People.
Signature drink: The Delicious Shot, $7 (Effen vodka, lime and sour mix)
Catch her: Thursday and Friday at Debonair; Saturday at Sonotheque




Tommy Andrika, 28
Minibar | Winebar
Andrika has roots in the bar biz. His dad owned a small-town bar in Ohio, and Andrika worked several different jobs at Minibar | Winebar before settling behind the bar about a year ago.
Signature drink: What else? The Tommy-tini (Grey Goose vodka, Midori, Malibu Rum, pineapple juice, cream and Chambord). It’s not on the menu, but regulars have started ordering Andrika’s concoction by name.
Catch him: Monday, Thursday and Friday evenings; Saturday and Sunday afternoons

 

Dani Hoyler, 24
Sheffield's
Hoyler learned her stouts from her IPAs while tending bar at The Onion brewpub in Lake Barrington, and that background has served her well this past year as a bartender at Sheffield’s.
Signature drink: While Sheffield’s may be known for its extensive beer list, Hoyler is known for whipping up a refreshing cocktail, which the staff has started calling Dani’s Lemonade (Bacardi Razz, soda water and lemonade). It’s only $5 on Saturdays in September.
Catch her: Thursday-Friday evenings; Saturday-Sunday mornings; Monday evenings.

Kevin Daniels, 31
Park Grill on the Plaza
Daniels isn’t content to be a one-trick bartender, so to speak. “I don’t want to be ‘Kevin the shot guy’ or be pigeon-holed into being a ‘club bartender.’” In his decade-long career, Daniels has mixed it up everywhere from SushiSamba to Aigre Doux, and most recently spent the last year putting a spin on classic cocktails at La Pomme Rouge. Now, he meets tourists from different parts of the world every day at Park Grill’s outdoor bar.
Signature drink: The Pearberry Martini, $11 (Grey Goose La Poire, lime juice, simple syrup, Apple Pucker and almond liqueur)
Catch him: Tuesday through Friday

Emirano Eperiam, 28
NV Penthouse Lounge
After working as a personal trainer and bartending in New York, Eperiam moved to Chicago and poured pints at Hidden Shamrock before opening NV last year as head bartender. When this native of Micronesia isn’t working his island heritage into his drinks, you’ll find him cheering on the Bears or lifting weights at the gym an impressive five days a week.
Signature drink: The Greed Martini, $13 (muddled strawberries, Grey Goose La Poire, pomegranate liqueur and lemonade topped with Moet White Star champagne)
Catch him: Thursday through Saturday


Jes Rickleff, 24
Spybar
This former Naperville barkeep mixed martinis at Two-Nine and Rizzo’s before heading downtown to work at Level, Stone Lotus and now Spybar. You might recognize her from the first season of “Rock of Love”—she still goes on promotional trips for the show when she’s not tending bar or working as a hairstylist.
Signature drink: The Stoli Splash Shot, $8 (Stoli Blueberry, Stoli Strawberry and a splash of peach schnapps, sour mix and Redbull)
Catch her: Thursday through Sunday



Jim Gaut, 28
Reagle Beagle
If Gaut wants something, he’ll make it happen, whether it's moving to San Diego to learn how to surf, or taking a job as a stocking beer at Reagle Beagle to work his way up to bartender. When he's not mixing Brady Bunch Punches for the after-work crowd, you might find him at home, hosting a barbecue and playing grill master.
Signature drink: The Chi-pirinha, $9 (Rio cachaca, simple syrup and muddled blueberries and raspberries to match the Chicago flag)
Catch him: Thursday through Saturday


Bryna Hahn, 29
Easy Bar and Liar's Club
Having worked everywhere from dive bars to dance clubs, Hahn insists she can mix up the oldies, the trendies and anything in between—but she’s still partial to Jameson shots. When she’s not chatting up her customers, she’s taking the stage with the PainKurst Girls, a performance troupe.
Signature drink: The Grapefruit Martini, $8.50 (Absolut Ruby Red, pink grapefruit juice and a secret ingredient with a lemon sugar rim)
Catch her: Tuesday at Liar’s and Saturday at Easy



CAST YOUR VOTE: Scroll up to "Who's your pick for Best Bartender 2008?" located on the top right of this page.


(Please note: Metromix reserves the right to audit the poll and determine the winner. Vote percentages shown may not reflect the actual number of valid votes.)

>>Click here to see more Top 10 photos.

Lisa Arnett and Matt McGuire are Metromix producers. lmarnett@tribune.com; mmcguire@tribune.com.